NEWS & HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
New details have emerged on the next project Gurinder Chadha has lined up, her “A Christmas Carol”-inspired contemporary Bollywood musical, which will be set in London. With production to begin this month, “Christmas Karma” will star Kunal Nayyar as Scrooge, while Eva Longoria and Billy Porter are among those set to star. Chadha will direct from her own script.
Donna Langley, Chairman, NBCUniversal Studio Group and Chief Content Officer, will be honored with the 2024 Kering Women In Motion Award at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival. Since 2015, the Women in Motion program has recognized inspirational figures in the film industry - previous awardees include Michelle Yeoh and Viola Davis. Learn more about the upcoming ceremony here.
Lizzie Borden’s first three features - “Regrouping,” “Born in Flames,” and “Working Girls” - are now available to watch on The Criterion Channel.
CBS has greenlit “The Gates,” the first Black daytime soap opera to be made in 35 years. The series will follow the lives of a wealthy Black family in a posh, gated community, and is due to premiere in January next year. Michele Val Jean (“General Hospital”) will serve as showrunner.
All synopses are courtesy of press materials, unless otherwise noted.
FILMS ABOUT WOMEN AND NON-GENDERED PERSONS OPENING AND COMING TO STREAMING/VOD
Ahead of the Curve (Documentary) – Directed by Jen Rainin and Rivkah Beth Medow
With a fist full of credit cards, a lucky run at the horse track, and chutzpah for days, Franco Stevens launched Curve, the best-selling lesbian magazine ever published. “Ahead of the Curve” tracks the power of lesbian visibility and community from the early ‘90s to the present day through the story of Franco’s founding of Curve magazine. Decades later, in the wake of a disabling injury, Franco learns that Curve will fold within the year, and questions the relevance of the magazine in the face of accelerating threats to LGBTQ+ community. To forge a path forward, Franco reaches out to women working in today’s queer spaces to understand what queer women need today, and how Curve can continue to serve the community.
“Ahead of the Curve” will be available on Netflix April 22.